Life & Work with Maria Serrao of Los Angeles

Today we’d like to introduce you to Maria Serrao.

Hi Maria, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Maria Serrao is a Groundbreaker. In 1989 she became the first woman in a wheelchair to compete in a Miss California beauty Pageant. Later, Maria created her own cable fitness show called, “Everyone Can Exercise”. In addition, she created her own line of fitness video’s for the retail market entitled, “Real Life Fitness”. This was created from her own desperate need to find a way to burn fat sitting down. After working with a personal trainer, Maria created a work out and lost 50 lbs. Maria then became the National Spokesperson for CYBEX fitness equipment. During that time, she traveled through out the United States and Canada promoting sports and fitness. She appeared on such shows as “Good Morning America” and “Entertainment Tonight”. Maria also works as an actress guest starring on “21 Jumpstreet” and “Prison Break”.

Maria was approached by a local TV Station COX-TV in Los Angeles to become their Sports Anchor/Reporter for their newly launched News program on KCOX Channel 3. Maria also hosted a live weekly sports show called “The NFL on COX”. Former NFL Great Jerry Robinson co-hosted the show. The show was a hit with guests including Joe Montana and Troy Aikman to name a few. It was during this time Maria also began covering all of the local professional teams in Los Angeles including the Lakers, Clippers, Dodgers, Angels and Kings, Chargers and Rams. Maria has also covers IndyCar and NASCAR races throughout the west.

Maria was the victim of a drunk driver at the age of five that left her partially paralyzed. She has never allowed her disability to prevent her from achieving anything in her life. Not even working as a sports reporter in the number two market in the Country. Currently Maria works at RPVtv in the South Bay of Los Angeles. Here Maria produces, writes and hosts her own sports show called, “Playing The Field” where she features the biggest names in sports. From Mookie Betts to Matthew Stafford to the Superbpwl and World Series.

“Playing the Field” airs through out Southern California on RPVtv, Verizon and COXTV as well as at PLAYINGTHEFIELDTV.COM
Maria is also working on a new project with Easterseals Southern California on a series of PSA’s that will include top professional athletes from all of the Los Angeles teams. It is her own story that inspired the project. Serrao said, “the athletes never treated me any different because I do my job sitting down. More people need to understand that injuries or disabilities are things you deal with in your life and you move on. It’s time to change the way people see disability”.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I think most of our lives are filled with many kinds of roads from bumpy to smooth to unfamiliar. Its not difficult to figure out when you have to make an adjustment in life. The hard part comes from other people not wanting you to be included because they are ignorant or just unfamiliar with circumstances that are different. Obstacles are opportunities to a new path. Challenges push us into places we would have never gone on our own.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am an actress who became a television sports reporter and host. I host a weekly sports show called “Playing The Field”. I have been doing this for 20 years and my gift is having the ability to make athletes or people I am interviewing feel more like they are having a conversation instead of an interview. I love what I do and I am blessed that I get to do it every day.

Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
Too many to list. I have a fun podcast I recently started with another reporter called “RUKiddingMe”. Very different from sports

Contact Info:

• Website: https://playingthefieldtv.com
• Instagram: @playingthefieldtv
• LinkedIn: Maria Serrao
• Twitter: @mariasports
• Youtube: @mariaserrao4160

Image Credits
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